Track & Field News

Wildcats Close Out Competition in Wichita

Wildcats Close Out Competition in Wichita

MANHATTAN, Kan. – After multiple athletes recorded personal bests on day one of action, the Kansas State track and field team saw more of the same as competition came to a close at the KT Woodman Invitational on Saturday.

The men finished the meet in fourth place with 213 total points, while the women closed out competition in fifth place with 178 total points. Wichita State swept the meet as their women scored 731 points and their men scored 588 points.

Junior Janee' Kassanavoid opened the competition for the Wildcats with a strong results, finishing in second place in hammer throw with a mark of 56.91m/186-08. Fellow thrower Tyler Merkley fell just short of the hammer throw school record he currently holds with a throw of 62.28m/204-04 to finish in third place.

Shot putter Brett Neelly recorded a personal best in the ring on Saturday, launching a throw of 51.78m/169-10 to finish in fourth place.

K-State jumpers also posted a strong day in the field. Senior Alyssa Kelly earned her first first-place finish of the season in triple jump with a leap of 12.35m/40-06.25. All three high jumpers finished in the top five of the field as Morgan Coffman set a new personal best with a jump of 1.73m/5-08.00 to take second place.

Junior Rachel Proteau finished third with a jump of 1.68m/5-06.00 and newcomer Shanae McKenzie finished fifth with a mark of 1.63m/5-04.25.

On the track, Junior Kain Ellis won the men’s 800 meter run after posting a time of 1:52.51. Fellow junior Lukas Koch, who finished in 13th place in the event, set a new personal best after posting a time of 1:57.52.

The Wildcats also saw multiple athletes record personal bests in the 400 meter dash. Senior Paige Kochuyt recorded a time of 1:03.15 for her new PR, while newcomer Rene Perla and senior Logan Smith posted PR times 50.34 and 51.34, respectively.

K-State also had a pair of athletes record personal bests in the 200 meter dash as Keiteyana Parks posted a time of 24.77 to finish in seventh place and Nick Albus finished eighth with a time of 21.78. Coffman also recorded a PR in the 100 meter hurdles, posting a final time of 16.44.

The Wildcats return to action next weekend as they head to Fayetteville, Arkansas to compete in the John McDonnell Invitational. More information on the meet, including a full meet schedule, can be found here.

For the latest on K-State track and field, follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateTF or on the team’s Facebook page.